COVID and Autism 2023: Lessons Learnt and Future Directions for Research

Book excerpt: It has been three years since many countries around the world were sent into a nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. As the disease infected the lungs of many people across the world, there were other adverse effects that came with not only the disease itself but the aftermath of the lockdowns. Those living with pre-existing conditions saw the COVID-19 pandemic affect them in different ways to those who were otherwise healthy. This Research Topic aims to highlight evidence on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected and continues to affect autistic individuals and to provide insights into research and interventions on how this can be tackled going forwards, in the hope that the research presented will translate to best practice applications in clinical and public health settings.